Food Lovers Guide

Shop like a chef with the best local sources for produce, dairy and cheeses, meat and
seafood, baked goods, sweets, ethnic ingredients, spices and more

By Julia Celeste

(page 4 of 6)

Meat & Seafood

Bolner’s Meat Market

Bolner’s celebrates its 100th anniversary this year of doing business in the same location at the corner of South Flores and West Mitchell streets. What started as a general store grew into a thriving wholesale butcher and meat market in the 1930s. Today, the beautifully restored building continues the family tradition with a well-stocked meat counter, special prime cuts and butcher-prepared items. If you’re looking for a whole pig for a luau, go to Bolner’s. Want to pit-roast cabrito or lamb, this is the place to start. Want to try Akaushi beef, buy it at Bolner’s. Hankering for jerky, they smoke it in house—just like they do with their house-made sausages. And if you just want to try some local barbecue, buy it by the pound or plate from the small hot line inside the cavernous building. 2900 S. Flores St., 210-533-5112, bolnersmeatmarket.com

Central Market

Seafood at Central Market is sourced by the store’s buyers, who physically inspect the boats and fishing methods of each individual supplier. It’s as fresh as possible, as sustainable and responsible as possible, and delivered to the case with careful attention to safety. 4821 Broadway, 210-368-8600, centralmarket.com

Green Fields Market

If you love beef, Texas-bred Akaushi beef can’t be beat thanks to Japanese engineering and pure Texas cattleman know-how. The pricey cuts are worth every penny for a special occasion and impressing other foodies because every bite is bursting with flavor, tenderness and healthy fat. In addition to Bolner’s supply, Green Fields Market carries a variety of steaks, roasts and ground by the pound. 19239 Stone Oak Pkwy., 210-495-4644, greenfieldsmarketonline.com

Groomer Seafood

Groomer’s is the first and last name to know when it comes to fresh seafood in San Antonio. One of the largest wholesale seafood distributors to top Texas restaurants for 27 years, Groomer’s built its reputation on super-freshness, fast turnaround, great variety and top quality service. In recent years, Groomer’s opened a retail operation in its facility near the airport, where cooks of every ilk have access to what the professionals get, six days a week. On Saturdays the place is teeming with customers, product demonstrations, tastings and the occasional food truck. You’ll see the day’s catch displayed on ice in a window and you can watch the fish butchers scale, fillet and wrap orders. Get on the Groomer’s email list for insider alerts to weekly specials and limited availability items like never-frozen jumbo shrimp, red snapper, wild salmon and fresh halibut, plus cooking tips, recipes and information on unique seafood specialties. In addition to cut-to-order seafood, Groomer’s carries prepared fresh items like ceviche, squid salad, marinated baby octopus, seaweed salad, caviars and more. The frozen case stocks interesting Cajun and Asian items, and the shelves are full of sauces, spices, cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. Even if you’re squeamish about cooking seafood at home, you won’t leave Groomer’s empty-handed. 9801 McCullough Ave., 210-377-0951, groomerseafood.com

Hudspeth River Ranch

When Hudspeth River Ranch lamb hit the markets earlier this year, it didn’t take long for it to sell out. This hormone- and antibiotic-free, grass fed lamb has a mild flavor, tender texture and cooks up juicy and rich-tasting. Their reach is growing, with individual cuts available at specialty stores like Gaucho Gourmet and at the Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market. Many foodies buy a half or whole lamb, portioned and frozen, so they never run out. 210-602-8501, hudspethriverranch.com

Parker Creek Ranch

The flavor of pasture-raised chicken eggs is indisputable. So is the flavor of pasture-raised chicken meat. Parker Creek Ranch eggs and chicken, available at both Pearl and Quarry markets as well as Koch Ranches Gourmet Country Store, set the bar for that rich, pure taste, without using GMO-based feed or cruel confinement. 830-426-9232, parkercreekranch.com

Peaceful Pork

Sixth-generation Texan Loncito Cartwright could be certified as a classic Texas character, if there were such a thing. Once Cartwright built a solid reputation with chefs around Texas for his flavorful lamb, he branched out into raising heritage pigs two years ago. His Peaceful Pork (named because the hogs “hang out in mesquite thickets and just eat all day”) is available at the Quarry market, and gaining the same level of acclaim as his lamb. Plan for a long chat with him when you visit—it’s fun and informative. quarryfarmersmarket.com/peaceful-pork

South Texas Heritage Pork

Kelley and Mark Escobedo were among the first ranchers in the farmers market circuit some years ago. They are at Pearl every Saturday and their pork can now be tasted in prepared dishes at Lüke, Cured, Mixtli and Jason Dady’s restaurants in town, plus Barley Swine in Austin. They have gone out of their way to educate chefs about heritage breeds of pigs. They also hold events and tours at their farm and offer cooking tips and recipes to home cooks. Theirs was the first Animal Welfare Approved pork in Texas, a distinction that assures consumers that the animals are humanely cared for. 830-534-7993, southtexasheritagepork.com